Does Running PC in Cold Environment is Dangerous For CPU

Hi.

There is always so much talk about to hot for computers but I am wondering about to cold.

My friend work in a fish processing unit where the temperature is constantly at -10° C (+13 F).

If we use a machine in here, will it be at risk of damage from the cold? Is there any considerations we need to make?

I am wondering if anyone out there has some info about this? Its somewhat damp on the floor in there and well its freezing.

So.... do you think that a PC could run ok in there.
Regards,

 

Problem here is you say it is consistently -10C but then you say it is not freezing all the time? If it is running in a high humidity environment at above freezing moisture can build up and then yes there can be issues. If ambient is always -10C usually humidty is low and other than mechanical drives you should be fine. I would suggest keeping it away from the wet floor however.

 

Batteries also do not like sub-zero temps IIRC.

 

True they do not like cold but HDD's being mechanical can be a concern and can easily have detrimental issues, -10C usually is not a major issue especially if running on AC.

 

I found this question interesting so I poked around the web a little bit, and found a very similar question was posted on superuser.com

The answer from user Rook has a couple interesting relevant pictures and a link entitled " Laptops on Antarctica" - which leads to a web page for an intrepid French researcher named Guillaume Dargaud (electrical engineer, for atmosphere physics experiments). The site is full-on pro quality and has lots of pictures detailing work and play in Concordia, Antarctica-- those guys eat very well down there!

https://superuser.com/questions/382791

Quote from original Rook answer:
I've never used them in snow, but have used them in -10 to -30 temperature ranges. And still using them

Quote from follow-up Rook answer:
Yeah, well ... I really don't want to make a science out of it. Just stated my experiences, ... only one laptop died so far (but that one fell from a jeep :/

 

Atleast @Papusan will feel good, clocking the CPU to 6-8GHz for 24/7 usage.

 

Sorry that was my mistake i corrected it. It's freezing atmosphere in it.
Normally a hardware component also exudes heat. So don't you think it can save the system from moisture.

A very useful information is given. thanks for sharing.......
Suppose, if laptop is off and you go out in cold weather assume fish processing unit and laptop is turned on in this situation. Can it cause hardware to o wrong?

 

Spinning hard drives do not like cold. Having SSD is better. Some toughbooks have heated hard drive caddys for colder temperatures. I guess they still do, even tho SSDs were invented
-10C is not that cold to prevent cpu fan from spinning. I would feel better if the computer was one of the new fanless laptops though, no moving parts inside is a safest bet.

Using computer in cold is not a problem. If it is a desktop, keep it running all the time. The heat cpu and other components produce keep it warm enough to work.
Laptops can be kept in warm storage, only used in cold space. It should work fine, just like a desktop, if the laptop is not shut down in the cold space.

If a computer, desktop or a laptop, is left in the cold space and it is "frozen" and then taken to the warm space, it should not be turned immediately on. Warming components will gather moisture from the warm air and water+electricity=bad. Instead let it warm by itself in room temperature for several hours first. If the computer survived the first 10 times, it will die when you forget to make backups.

One more thing that comes to mind... you'll want laptops with plastic shell. Like Thinkpads. Much nicer to touch than metallic surface when it is near zero temp.

 

BuT tHe MeTaL uNiBoDy Is MoRe DuRaBlE tHaN cHeAp ChInEse PlAsTiC

-every mac retards out there

 

Just tell them it tastes funny when cold...

 

Nice contribution in this topic

 

Until they bend the case slightly and it never fits together correctly again. Saw that happen with a few of the ASUS unibody models, was annoying.

 

I agree with this here. Definitely important. I find it funny nobody mentioned the fact that your LCD display will also be affected somewhat. Cold LCDs ghost and slow down in my experience... After some use it may warm itself up enough not to matter though.

 

-10C temps you say?

SOUNDS GOOD TO ME!

Can I bring mine to?